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Camp Wannalaffalotta: Oceans of Fun!

Are you looking for a little instant ease when it comes to kids home for summer vacation? I totally get you. Check out the Summer Survival Guide . It's chock-full of great ideas to organize your summer and enjoy great times with yours kids.

Welcome, Campers! Ready to make some waves? This week’s Camp Wannalaffalotta is focused on the Ocean and everything that swims, floats, or lives nearby.

There is a wealth of enrichment activities out there that focus on the ocean and sea creatures. Just do an internet search and you’ll see what I mean. I’ve selected different resources for you to choose from, covering reading resources, crafts, field trips, movies, snacks, and other miscellaneous ideas. You couldn’t possibly do them all in one day. But they give you options, and hopefully, inspiration to make up your own family fun.

I believe that all of life is learning. And summertime is a great time to help your children, big or small, see that learning can be really fun. These activities are selected to inspire excitement about the world around us. If you live near the seashore, then you have lots of opportunity to really engage with the ocean. But, even if you’re landlocked, you don’t have to be limited. We lived in Kansas City for five years and we still enjoyed fun in the water and learned about sea creatures and the ocean from afar.

If you want to talk and learn about the ocean all summer, you could. Or you might just spend a day reading a book, doing a craft, making a fun snack, and watching a movie together. Or you could spend the whole week at the seaside – virtually. Books, videos, and websites are a boon to exploring something without actually being there.

You shouldn’t have to spend much money to “do camp” at home. Remember that the library is your best friend this summer. Enroll your kids in their summer reading program and explore the world of books together. Many of the craft suggestions involve regular household items. If something is out of reach, in terms of budget or availability, there is almost always a reasonable substitute, just think outside the box.

Maybe you won’t do any of these activities, but perhaps they’ll get you thinking about what you would like to do with your children. Either way, I hope you’ll laffa-lotta with your children this summer.

Get Reading!Make library days a regular part of your summer. We usually choose one day of the week to make Library Day. Sometimes I’ll pack a sack lunch, then we can take our time, not hear rumbling tummies, and not succomb to fast food on the way home. Ask your children’s librarian to point you to the reference books, like A to Zoo. They should have a whole section on books about books. These are directories, organized by age, theme, and author, to help you find books your children might be interested in. Teachers know about these books, but I’m not sure all parents do. This kind of book will help you help your children choose good books.

Get Crafting!Your crafts could be as simple as doing a coloring page together or making fish out of playdough. The beauty of it is sitting at the table with your children and talking, laughing, and creating. But, you could also check out one of these activities:Cockleshell Critters from Family FunOcean Diorama from MarthaStewart.comOcean in a Bottle from Kaboose.commultiple Ocean crafts from FreeKidCrafts.comSeashell Chime Bracelets from Family Fun

Get a Movie On!Different families have different standards when it comes to movie viewing. If I haven’t personally seen a movie listed, I’ve checked it through the Dove Foundation’s Movie Reviews. But our standards may not be yours. Please use discernment in choosing what your children will watch.

Comments

Ocean themed knowledge and fun: Our family has a subscription to “Kids Discover” magazine. It has no adds and is very informational while still fun for kids. Each issue tackles a specific theme-some relate to ocean or water and back issues as well as themed sets of issues can be ordered from kidsdiscover.com. Some of our libraries also have issues that can be checked out.

No suggestions for you. Seems like you covered it all. Sounds fun and I’d come! LOL.

Chloe loved the book The Rainbow Fish and she also loves nemo. It’s a special treat for her to watch some days. She really loves fish. I got a fish aquarium lamp from a used shop for very cheap. She has that in her room because with littles – I don’t have time for real fish

I’m so excited about this series even with my two who are 10 and 13. We got some books – Old Man and the Sea for my 13 year old and an abridged version of Moby Dick for my 10 year old. We also check out DVDs – Swiss Family Robinson and found Blue Earth dvds about the ocean. We also found a few other books about the ocean, too.

As a former elementary school teacher, I can tell you there is a highly technical term for a program like the on you have outlined: WOWZA!! I cannot wait to get camp started at our house – thank you so much for getting my summer off to a great start.

I love what you’re doing for Camp Wannalaffalotta! I’m definitely challneged in the area of coming up with “fun” stuff for my 5 children and this is perfect! They all look forward to and enjoy what we did last week (ages 10-1). I’ve linked up so you can see what we did. Thank you! You have made my “Life as Mom” much easier!

Believe it or not just a few days ago my hubby and I were making plans to be more intentional in our summer calendar. We’re both privileged to have significant time available for our girls ( almost 4 and 6) and we really want to be more purposeful in how we choose to use our time this year. We’ve been reading the 7 habits book and together with your blog and a few other supports, we are really looking forward to summer.. even more than usual! Who’d-a-thunk-it?! Planning is your friend! Thank you so much.. our family is blessed again and again by your gift to communicate what’s on your heart and what really matters.

Welcome to Life as MOM! I'm FishMama, chief cook and bottle washer around here. I have six kids under 18, and I've lived to tell the tale. Want to know how to make the most out of what you have where you are? You've come to the right place.

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